Chameleon
by celticgina
Summary: How much about Auggie did he change when he was blinded?  A little different...our boy in a whole new light.  Bunnies still need reviews. This is the final Chapter...note the Rating Change!
1. Chapter 1

**This story was muscled onto my keyboard courtesy of a persistent bunny. I often wonder what our boy was like before he had to adapt himself as a blind man. Every now and then, we got a glimpse of the tough agent. I wanted to explore that. Warning, you might not love me or the bunny by the end of this one. But stick with it? **

**One more thing. I am starting this as a T. It might go higher...so watch for that. I will try to give you warning. OK?**

**DISCLAIMER: Evil bunnies, yes, and no more.**

**CHAMELEON – Chapter 1**

Men in uniform were the backdrop of her life. She had been raised around them and ceased to notice them the way a normal civilian would. In Washington, DC, they were a common enough sight. In Langley, at CIA headquarters, they came in and out. She didn't pay them any attention. That day, she should have.

But she was not the same bright eyed agent who began there over a year ago. She had survived missions as a rookie that would have sent seasoned agents packing. She watched the man she thought was the love of her life turn out to be a rogue agent. She discovered she had been recruited and used as bait to lure him out. She held him as he died in her arms.

It was rough, but she came through that time stronger and oddly, a better agent. Without Auggie, she knew she wouldn't have made it. He had held her hand and her hair after she tried to drink away the pain. He then held a mirror up to her and made her see the better person and agent she would be.

For the last 6, no almost 7 months, she had been marking time. Since that awful day when she walked into the Tech Op center with a coffee and a funny story about the barista. She had been met by an oppressive silence and an empty chair. No one would make eye contact. A terror shot through her and she dropped the coffee. The smell of coffee had made her a little nauseous ever since.

Finally, Joan came in and led Annie back into her office. "He's alive", was all she would say. "When I can say more, I will. I know this is hard. No, I don't know when he will be back. There is nothing about this I can discuss with you. As an agent you understand you simply must accept this."

"I don't understand? Is he on an op? When did he get cleared? Joan, is he hurt? I need to know."

Annie's voice rose with each question.

"Stop it now Annie! He will, no. I cannot say anything more. I understand the relationship you have is very strong. Don't you think I see it? You had him in the field, getting arrested and apologizing for you the second day you were here. No one and I mean no one here, before or since he was blinded was that close to him. After the Tasha mess, he closed down. After he lost his sight, it was even worse. Sure, he was charming and funny, but that's all you got. You two were oddly connected right away. I know that. Believe me, this is all I can say."

"He's ok?"

"Don't ask me."

"Damnit! Is he at least alive?"

Joan hesitated and nodded. Then she opened the door. Her last words were a warning to Annie as she left.

"Do not go looking. Do not dig. Leave this alone."

Right after that, Annie became remarkably busy. She was handling Intel transfers all over the world. Stu handled her support. He was a nice guy, and did his job well. But he wasn't Auggie.

Neither was Jai Wilcox, although, he did try. She questioned him and was finally satisfied that he didn't really know anything. At least Jai understood her. He had been with her in Sri Lanka. He knew how much Auggie had done for her after. He had even apologized for being assigned to handle her.

They got closer in the months since Auggie disappeared. It wasn't the relationship Jai wanted, but he was smart enough to bide his time. He thought Ben Mercer was an idiot for walking away from Annie twice for the CIA. He had no idea what the hell happened to Auggie, but figured it was big. After the mess with his father and Liza Hearn finally broke, he was happy just to have a friend at the agency. The same people who kissed his ass before now shunned him for the same relationship. Annie treated him the same. They spent time together.

Every two weeks, Annie would ask Joan for news. She didn't say what news. Joan knew what she wanted to know. Every two weeks, Joan would just shake her head. She tried to keep Annie busy. She watched her spend time with Jai. She worried about the younger woman to her husband.

The time dragged on. Annie was still bright and sharp and one of the best upcoming agents Joan had. But a spark that had dimmed a little with Mercer's death was almost gone after all this time. Losing Auggie had almost broken her, although only those who knew her well saw that.

So, another uniform walking into Joan's office didn't register on the slightly jet lagged Annie. She didn't even look up when the blinds on the windows were drawn. This was a world where secrecy was to be expected. Even Jai hurrying into Joan's office didn't raise any alarms. It wasn't until she heard the normally controlled man's voice shout through the walls, that she really looked up.

Her phone pinged. Joan's voice came over the speaker asking Annie to step into her office immediately. Joan's voice had an edge. This was big.

She knocked and stepped in, quietly, closing the door behind her. Jai was in the face of the man in the uniform, furious. She had never seen him lose his cool that way.

There was something oddly familiar about him, but they all seemed a little familiar to a girl raised at Army bases around the world. Then he turned his head and gave her a half smile and that voice haunting her dreams said "Annie?"

She let out a gasp and almost forgot to inhale. Auggie. Auggie! Alive, well, in uniform and looking at her. Wait, looking at her?

"Auggie?"

If she hadn't still been against the door, holding the knob, she might have fallen. As it was her head began to buzz. She shook it to clear it.

"Auggie?" It was all she could manage to say.

"You are literally a sight for sore eyes, Annie Walker."

Jai looked from the smirking Anderson to the sudden pallor of Annie's skin and moved quickly. He took her arm to sit her down before she fell down. She shook off his arm with a quick smile and stood in front of Auggie.

"You can see me? What the hell?"

Her wits were coming back to her. Her training kicked in. She began to notice a thousand details at once. He seemed taller and was for sure broader. The military cut was miles away from the barely arranged geek mop she knew. His tanned face was harder too, somehow. The eyes that narrowed on her had tiny lines in the corner. Only the smile seemed really like him. It was Auggie, but it wasn't.

Arthur's quiet entrance broke the silence. Annie and Auggie registered his presence but did not acknowledge it. They were absorbed in each other. Even with all the obvious changes, their private bubble had survived.

"Auggie?"

Her voice said it all to him. For a man who lived in the dark for two years, he craved new sights and drank them in. The face and form that went with the scent and voice that haunted him was mesmerizing. He saw now the glare that she used to announce to him. He couldn't help it, he smiled at the memory. It was one of many that had sustained him over the last few months.

Arthur attempted to break the stalemate.

"Anderson! Good to see you. You look well."

Auggie closed his eyes briefly. The false note in Arthur's voice grated on him. But he knew what was expected.

"Sir, good to see you."

"Is anyone going to tell me what the hell is going on? Or are Auggie's sudden vision, uniform and re-appearance going to remain the elephant in the room?"

"Walker, there is a lot you don't understand"

"Thanks for understating the obvious Arthur! Were you really blind? I know the CIA likes deep cover, but really?"

Jai's angry voice surprised them all.

"She has been asking you about him constantly for the last 7 months. She has never given up on him. I think she can handle this Intel, and frankly, deserves to know whatever it is"

Well, at least Jai didn't know either. He hadn't been lying to her. That was some kind of comfort in this mess. She smiled at him again, thanking him silently. Auggie watched the silent exchange between them with narrowed eyes. There was a new closeness there. It twisted something inside him, something he had no right to, but still held within.

Auggie looked at Arthur, silently asking him the question. Arthur hesitated and then caught Joan's face out of the corner of his eye. She nodded with her eyes, and then he relented. He knew she had a soft spot for Annie. He also knew she saw them in the tight relationship between Anderson and Walker.

"Go ahead Anderson"

Auggie began to speak, his words directed at Annie. The rest of them didn't matter. It would all change after this. But Jai confirmed what Joan told him. She hadn't given up on him at all. He couldn't speak to how her appearance had changed, but there was a slightly tired edge to her voice. It was new.

"That last Friday, after we went for a drink, I was tired and went home early. You remember?"

Remember? Every moment of that last night had been replayed and burned into her brain. She searched it over and over for a clue as to what happened. She only nodded.

"There was someone waiting for me. I was to go out on a mission that night. I know, it shocked me too. They wanted my ears right on sight. I needed to hear what was being said without any electronic distortion. All went well, we thought. As I was getting back into the car, my world blew up again."

He stopped Annie's forward momentum with his hand. He knew her enough to know she would want to check on him and to fuss over him. He couldn't stand that now.

"I am clearly fine, Annie. Thankfully, the trigger went off too early. Wrecked the hell out of a SUV, but none of us were seriously hurt. But the thing is when I came to in the hospital, my eyes were bandaged. I remember thinking what the hell else could be wrong with them? But they were talking. Apparently, the explosion hit in a one in million way. There was surgery that could work. It was experimental. The kicker was that it had been developed by the military and would only be used on active military."

Annie swung an accusing eye at Arthur. Clearly, she knew what was coming. She asked silently how they could have let it happen

Auggie smiled to himself. He wondered how many of Annie's expressions he had missed. He could watch her face all day, waiting for each one to flit across that lovely face.

"So, I thought, how much how worse could this get? You can't get more blind. I told them to reactivate my ass ASAP. They did, the surgery worked and I found myself back in uniform. It took a month before I could be sent back to active duty."

"Because you haven't done enough? Where did they send you? Why couldn't you contact me?"

His head tilted and he just looked at her. In that moment, he was the old Auggie, telling her so much without a word. But this time, he looked right at her, instead of in her general direction. It was unnerving and would take some getting used to, she knew.

"OK, answer what you can. How long do they have you for? Are you back? Now what?"

Trust Annie to get right to the crux of it. This was the part of the conversation he was going to hate.

"I'm there for another 2 and half years, with an option for more. But in a rare moment of sharing, the military and the CIA are co-owners of my bright eyes for now."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that the good news is that I am back. The better news is that I am back in the field. No more hiding in my bat cave waiting for it to come to me. I go get it and make it happen now. The old Auggie is gone. Long live the new, improved Auggie."

As he spoke, he straightened. The sweet earnest look was wiped from his face and replaced with a hardened look. His jaw tightened, his head came back and his eyes, so long sightless windows to his soul, shuttered.

Annie blinked and snapped her head back as if she had been hit. The long wait for Auggie was over. But he was not the Auggie she knew and had finally admitted she loved. She was missing him still, she thought.

**OK, I know, a little farfetched, but go with me here? Let me know what we think?**


	2. Chapter 2

**I did warn you this was a tough bunny's story! A little explanation. I really hope they never do this whole 'miraculous return of his sight thing'. It is a little out there, I know. I am only using it as a device for my story.**

**I don't put genres or pairings on my story description, because the bunnies don't like the limitations. Nothing should be implied otherwise. But those who have read my other work, know where my heart lies here. **

**I just think Auggie is much tougher then we sometimes see. This story explores that Auggie. I will try to put him back in good condition.**

**DISCLAIMER: If I really had him, he would be in great condition….heh heh**

**CHAMELEON – Chapter 2**

"So, if there is nothing further, I am going to stop into Tech Support and finally see everyone, and clear out my desk in that office."

He got to the door before Annie's voice stopped him.

"Nothing further? So, that's it? You disappear from my life, breeze back in with the most amazing story of a miracle and oh yeah, you'll see me around the water cooler?"

Her voice started soft and sad, but quickly shifted gear to angry and hurt. Only hearing her, he knew every nuance of that voice. He turned briefly to answer her. It was a mistake. Now that he could see, he could read the hurt and anger on her face. He knew she had suffered. He knew this was another desertion from a man she had let past her guard.

"For now, that's as much as you need to know. Even what I told you is classified. My cover is that a freak accident restored my sight and I decided to finish out my reserve hitch. I'm sure we will have a chance to chat soon."

"Chat soon?"

But she was speaking to an open door. She swung around to face Jai and Joan. She knew Arthur would hand her the company line even on his death bed. Jai looked angry, but not shocked. Joan's control was back in place, but Annie could see a measure of sympathy flash briefly.

"Annie, I know you just got back. I want you to be ready for a briefing after lunch. A new situation has arisen coming out of Hungary. It is probable that we will need you there."

Only by the barest flicker of an eye did Joan communicate with Arthur. Annie was to be kept even busier. This was going to be another big change for this young woman. She would not be kept idle brooding over those changes. The steady look in return told her Arthur understood. They communicated silently often in world where walls had ears.

Joan was giving her nothing either. Annie's eyes narrowed. If they all wanted to play it this way, she would publicly. Privately, she planned a long talk with one August Anderson. She nodded and left the office, her heels beating a staccato drum of anger on the tile floor.

As Jai turned to follow her, he was halted by Joan's hand on his arm.

"Jai, don't let her do this. She will only get hurt."

"Yeah, Joan. Because being hurt by this agency would be a new experience for Annie. I get it. I always did. But you better keep Anderson out of here too. They are like those magnets that attract each other. If they are in this building together, you know what will happen."

He tried to keep the anger and bitterness out of his voice. Annie had been a friend in a hellish time for him. He wanted more, but knew the better part of her was still Anderson's. The next few weeks were going to be hard on her. He would take that pain for her if he could. The best he could do would be to be the clean up man. It was not a job he wanted.

"Sometimes, I wonder if it would be easier if the Agency were all men. "

"Because they are so much more rational, Arthur?"

"No. Because women are too much of a distraction for us mere men."

Arthur said this with a slight twist of his lips that told Joan exactly how much of a distraction he found her. She allowed him the smallest of smiles.

"Men are distracted by all shiny objects. It doesn't matter if curves are attached."

With that dismissal of an entire gender and her husband in particular, Joan turned back to her desk. She was going to need to find a lot of overseas work for Annie in the next few weeks.

After the sixth mission in 8 weeks, Annie felt like her whole life had been narrowed down to planes and airports. She spoke so many other languages that American English began to feel foreign to her. She had always found new places wonderful and interesting. Now it was beginning to feel like each new country was another day at the office. She was cranky and wanted a drink. But the closer on this last op needed to be on Joan's desk in the morning. She dreaded what new adventure Joan would have for her next. She had a feeling some of this was international busy work. Joan didn't want her around Langley. What Joan didn't understand was all that time traveling alone gave her time to think and brood.

Annie had seen Auggie in passing a few times. His hair was growing in, but was much more tamed. He dressed better, that was for sure. Those horrible sweaters had been replaced by sharp, well fitted suits and beautiful ties. He never seemed to wear black and grey anymore. When he saw her, he would wave or nod, but only as if she were someone he vaguely knew. He didn't pal with the geeks anymore. No, now he shot darts with the up and comers with deadly accuracy. Allusions and jokes to his blindness were met with a raised eyebrow and a faint smirk. That self deprecating humor was gone. He was still charming and charismatic. Men wanted to hang out with him and women threw themselves at him even more.

All of this was seen from a distance. Annie, on the few occasions she was in Langley, would see him from a corner table with Jai. Jai had been her rock again. Annie knew he wanted more from this relationship. She knew she wasn't really being fair to him. She tried to tell him this, but he refused to let her finish the thought each time. So, she sat in the shadows and watched a different Auggie ignore her existence.

Auggie was very aware of Annie. He knew each time she was sent out on a mission. He knew when she got back. He knew that she was being shuttled around the world to keep her from him. He knew he wanted to rip Jai Wilcox's head off. The only thing that was saving Jai was the office gossip swearing he hadn't gotten anywhere yet. But, it was generally considered that it was only a matter of time. She didn't spend time with anyone else.

Annie avoided discussing Auggie with Jai. They had never really liked each other. Oh, Jai would pretend to be correct and polite. Auggie usually shot him down every chance he could. Annie had heard this went back to when they both came up as agents together. She was thrust into the middle of that.

The only benefit to coming in late to finish paperwork was the relative quiet in the DPD. It was never completely silent. And there were nights when due to the time differences, the place was hopping. But tonight was one of those blessedly quieter nights. Annie wasn't sure if she planned to reward herself with a drink or ice cream after this. She had just finished up and was making that important decision when she heard voices coming from the stairwell.

It wasn't unusual for people to go there for a quiet word. Having a private word in the staircase away from walls with ears was discouraged, but still happened. The voices were raised, which was unusual. Annie tried to ignore them until she heard her name. It took a moment, but she recognized the voices.

It was Jai and Auggie, and they were having it out. She opened the stairway door quietly, but she needn't have worried. They wouldn't have heard if she slammed it open. Calm, in control Jai was blasting Auggie.

"You stupid son of a bitch! You are so happy being super secret agent man that you are willing to throw Annie and that relationship away? You are a bigger ass than Mercer. At least when he came back she could see what and who he was. And she was still willing to believe in him. He had the grace to die in her arms so she could put an end to it. But no, not you."

"You don't understand anything, Jai, you never did. All this concern is crap. You just want me out of the way so you have a clear shot. I haven't contacted her. You know what I am doing and why. She has to be a big girl about this. "

That was it. Annie had been literally shuffled around the world to avoid all this. Auggie was right. She had to be a big girl. That meant she had to face all this and make a decision. She pushed the door all the way open and walked down to the landing where the two men were almost nose to nose.

"If you are going to talk about me behind my back, you might want to make sure I am not in the building and oh yeah, not yell my name. What the hell am I missing here? Don't tell me its need to know. Clearly this has to do with me, so I'm thinking I need to know."

The two men jumped apart, and looked abashed at being caught fighting so openly. Auggie pulled himself under control quicker and composed his face into that smirk she had begun to hate.

"Just letting off some steam. I am off to do something really important. The staircase is all yours, Wilcox. See ya around Annie."

He walked down the stairs quickly, leaving a curious Annie and furious Jai behind on the landing. Annie made a move to go after him, but Jai anticipated her move and blocked her.

"No, don't. Just don't do this to yourself. "

"OK, that's it. I have avoided discussing this whole thing with you. I know what you want from me. I know I haven't been fair or really honest. But I know I need to know what the hell is going on. I can't move forward. I'm tired of being tossed to all ends of the earth to avoid this. I want to stand still and hear the truth. What the hell is going on with Auggie?"

There it was, the big question. She was right. They had been keeping her everywhere but here to avoid it and him. Jai cursed Anderson yet again silently. Sonofabitch was making him the clean up man. Jai knew he wanted her to move forward, hopefully toward him. Jai knew he should ask Joan on this. Jai looked at her tired face and made his own decision. He motioned her to sit on the steps. She deserved the truth.

"Annie, I need for you to listen to me carefully. You didn't know Auggie before he was blind. I did. We came up together. I hated him. Auggie Anderson was well on his way to legend status around here. He was that rare mix of brave, daring, brilliant, fast on his feet, lethal, irreverent and charming. He pulled off ops that would have killed most people. And he always came out smelling like a rose with a girl on each arm. Hell, everyone loved him and those of trying to be like him, hated him. I was supposed to be the crown prince of the CIA, and he was an upstart from the fucking Midwest. He upstaged me at every turn. But I admired him too."

Annie nodded. This explained a lot of the animosity between the two men. Auggie was always pulling at Jai, needling him.

"Then like something from a God-damned Greek tragedy, the super-agent fell for the wrong girl. Mr. CIA fell for a Russian anarchist of all things. And he fell hard. He asked, just like a good agent to stay with her. They said no, he broke her heart and the FBI swooped in. To get away from the heartache, he ran away from home to Iraq and promptly became a bona fide war hero. When he came back, and I will give him this, he fought like a mother to get this job. Before he left, he had an encyclopedic knowledge of this agency and where the bones were all buried."

Annie nodded again. His knowledge had saved her life and job more than once, she knew. He used his power sparingly, but it was there.

When he came back, he couldn't be super spy anymore. So, he used what he had. You know how when we are out in the field, we are told to blend?"

"I remember they spent so much time on what they called chameleon training. They said it might save your life one day. Once I got out there, I knew what they meant."

"Right. So, Auggie, being the good agent, was a chameleon."

"What?"

"When he came back blind, super-agent wasn't going to work. He couldn't. It drove him nuts, but he had to adapt to his new life. He was always a little techno-wizard. He used that and became sweet, lovable Auggie, tech op guru"

"No. That's ridiculous. You're telling me he completely changed who he was for over 2 years?"

"Not change, completely, more like morph into that version of himself. You think before he was blind he dressed like Mr. Rogers? No. That was all part of it. Think back Annie. There were times you saw that agent beneath."

There had been flashes of that toughness, sure, but that was the strength it took to handle this job blind, to fight back from it. Liza Hearn. He worked her like an asset and then dumped her without thought. There had been times when sweet Auggie would get mad, and she did wonder about the change.

"I buy some of this, but I don't really believe some of the Auggie I knew and well, knew was not real. No way does anyone blend for that long. Especially if they all knew him before."

"Annie, he was really well liked before. They were so happy to have him back they took any version. And once you showed up…"

"What about me?"

"He became the best version of himself. He liked himself, because you genuinely did. The two of you were instantaneous and real. There was nothing he wouldn't do for you. That story about the Smithsonian Tour? Those of us who remember him before were stunned. He wouldn't have done that for his own family."

"OK, so if I buy this whole chameleon thing, what's the deal with now?"

"Now? Now he has to be super-agent again. To be seen as a real agent here, he can't be sweet techno-geek Auggie anymore. Can you see that Auggie in the field handling all that? He's changed back. I think he's gone overboard, but the kind of assignments he gets, he needs to be seen as James Bond again. I think he's a little afraid of how he will want to be around you."

"So, they are sending me to far corners of the world for crap assignments so they can have secret agent man back again? Unbelievable. I am I really so potentially hurtful to him? A chameleon? You know what; chameleons are lizard with great wardrobe options. Cold blooded? I get it."

She stood and brushed off the seat of her pants. She put her hand on his arm and gave it a squeeze.

"Thanks Jai. You have become a real friend. I know you didn't like him, so this was not an easy conversation. I appreciate the honesty. I am headed home to a pint of ice-cream and my own bed. You can tell Arthur and Joan that I am fine. I guess I have to change to the Annie who can handle all this."

She was very proud of herself that she managed to get all the way home before she burst into tears.

**Whew! This was a lot to absorb, I know. Stay with me, and tell me you are still here?**


	3. Chapter 3

**I love how passionate you all are about this story. You have posted such thoughtful reviews and sent private messages. Your confidence in my ability to handle this situation is humbling and inspiring. Was that over the top?**

**This weekend is Halloween and those of us with kids know what that means. Yes, I will be eating chocolate. No promises on the timing of the next chapter. No promises that I won't be on a sugar high when I write again!**

**DISCLAIMER: Chocolate and Auggie…..hmmmm. Not happening? Darn it!**

**CHAMELEON – Chapter 3**

In the light of Jai's explanations, Annie began to covertly watch Auggie. It began, in that weird CIA manner, to make some sense. She had some time to do this since it seemed Jai had spoken to Joan. She was working a little closer to home. The travel and the cover stories for her sister were both wearing on her. So, she did her job, worked on assignments and kept a careful eye on one August Anderson's behavior.

She had been closer to him than anyone, so she probably knew him better. Jai was right. He had changed to blend into his new role at the agency. Other than some hurt faces from the tech crowd, everyone just seemed to accept these changes. But every now and then, she would catch a glimpse of the old Auggie. He would really smile or laugh at something. She would see his head tilt as he was really listening to someone. He still ran his hand along the back of a chair before he sat. Little signs that he was still him.

The first time they were in a briefing together was hard. But she congratulated herself that she handled it well. She could see Jai ready to jump in between them if needed. Instead she acknowledged his presence with the slightest of nods. She then calmly treated him just like everyone else. Joan noted this and silently congratulated the young woman. She knew Annie was still hurting. Joan watched Auggie too. In that brief moment before he was able to shutter his eyes again, she saw him drink her up with his eyes. Joan was the only one who saw him inhale deeply. He was breathing in her fragrance. This was not as resolved as Arthur would like to think. But as long as they all behaved, there was nothing she could really do.

Joan watched carefully over the next few weeks. Then they both spoke at the same time with the same thought at a briefing. Annie no longer hovered in the background. She had logged time in the field and due to her language skills, frequently understood the nuances that a translation didn't get. It shouldn't have surprised Joan. They were both usually among the smartest people in the room. It was just one of the things that had put them on the same wave length from the beginning.

Halfway into the sentence, they both stopped and looked at each other. It was one of the first times they had made real eye contact in months. For a long moment, the air crackled. Annie took a deep breath and smiled tightly.

"Go ahead."

"I will, thank you. But it seems we both saw the same thing here."

Auggie continued to speak calmly about the issue in Prague. Only his training kept him from betraying how shaken he was by that moment. Having the same thought at the same time had been one of their things. And then to see her look at him, really see into him, and be able to finally see that himself hit him hard. He was almost shocked when she spoke. For a moment, he had completely blocked the other people in the room. Damn. He thought he was better than that.

As the room cleared, Auggie approached Joan quietly for a private word. Joan wasn't surprised by that or his request that followed.

"Send me. Get me the hell out of here."

"Auggie, you are going to have to face this and her sometime. Are you sure you don't want me to arrange a meeting for you two?"

"This has nothing to do with….I am just tired of being one place too long. I like the field."

"This is me. You think I don't see this. If it makes you feel any better, she is still reeling. She must have said something to Jai."

"Wilcox? What? Why"

The questions tore out him before he could stop. He shouldn't care. He should be able to move on. She was just one woman. Damn, he hated repeating that to himself over and over again.

"Jai has requested that he go back up to the seventh floor. I think Annie finally told him he had no chance. Of course, with him gone, I expect the line to start around her desk."

A tightened jaw and narrowed eyes were the only outward signs that her words had even been heard. He turned on his heel, military style and walked out.

"Send me somewhere soon"

Joan smiled a little. She missed Auggie. He was funny, smart and cared about his job and the agents in the field. She was pretty sure that for all his appearance to the contrary, you don't turn that off so easily. She understood he was trying to distance himself from that job. He needed to be seen not as Support Auggie, but Agent Anderson. She hoped he learned soon he could and should be both. He would be happier and healthier.

It took another week before there was an assignment suitable for Auggie. So he was treated to the sight of not quite a line, but a crowd of guys trying to get close to Annie. Jai was gone; Auggie was taking a pass, so they reasoned she was open. Most of them understood Jai leaving. They wouldn't have hung on that long. But Anderson? They all thought he was nuts. The guy can finally see how hot Walker is and then decided to pass?

What they didn't understand was how much he saw. Something about Annie had drawn him from the beginning. She had a spark about her. Something in him sought her out. She got his humor and never really saw him as 'Blind Auggie'. She smelled great, and called him on his crap. Seeing her in person was almost a blow. Almost all of the guys made it their business to tell him about her looks. He knew she was pretty. But the reality of that soft blond hair, lovely face and expressive eyes far surpassed his imaginings. Every time he saw her, he forced himself not to stare.

Annie treated her popularity with a detached calm. Some of the guys were nice, some were hoping to score. She really wasn't interested in them. She went for drinks with a group one night and found herself fending off 4 of them. She was too busy to see Auggie watching her that night. He seemed to be absorbed by a darts match. What she also didn't see was the darts going so far into the cork they almost needed pliers to get them out.

Auggie left as early as he could without drawing attention to himself. He briefly thought about taking one of those young women hanging around his group home. Without being vain, he knew any of them would jump at the chance. He had avoided women from work. Since he had been back, he had left with just enough women to maintain his reputation as a ladies man. Ironically it was one of the things about that blindness had never effected.

Annie had changed that. As they became closer, his interest in chasing women or slowing enough that they could catch him waned. He didn't directly connect the two at first. But as he found more and more of the women lacking, he finally admitted it to himself. It was Annie. He had decided to wait till she was really over Ben. He had no plans on being the rebound guy. Just prior to that last night together, he had decided he was going to tell her soon. But he wanted it to be just right. If he hadn't left the bar early that night with a headache, he was going to ask her out on a date. He wanted to have a quiet dinner with her in a nice place, not just a burger in a noisy pub. He thought she was at the point where she might say yes. It had amused him a little how nervous he was about asking her out. Then he found the CIA and duty waiting when he got home. His world changed after that.

He knew he was disappointing and hurting her. But he knew he would be too distracted by her and his feelings. He needed time to get back onto the top of his game. He had to be seen as an agent, not the support guy. It had to be his priority.

So they continued on. She slowly nursed a heart so broken she didn't want to even risk it being healed. He fought his inner demons and angels trying to make himself the man an exploding dog had sidetracked.

It took a typical governmental agency SNAFU, freak storm and switch problem to bring them face to face with each other.

**You are all so worried about Auggie's changes. I hope this chapter helped with this. Are we all still on board?**


	4. Chapter 4

**It occurs to me that my multi-chapters tend to have a slow pace. So please stay with me and review. Even though I don't always respond, please know they are truly appreciated.**

**You should also know I kind of suck at writing their actual work. I was planning to send them to some exotic locale and realized I would be seriously faking it. So I went for something I did know here instead. **

**DISCLAIMER: At teenaged son who thinks the day after Halloween should be a school holiday, but that's all.**

**CHAMELEON – Chapter 4**

Sometimes it was all about Happy Hour. Karen Durham couldn't wait for 5 o'clock that Friday afternoon. She had finally been asked to join some of the tech op support crew for drinks. The problem with working for the CIA in her mind was a lack of excitement and glamour. She was stuck doing boring paperwork. She never hung out with real operatives. Of course, working in the cauldron of gossip meant she hear d a lot of the stories. But the real life James Bond types took no real notice of her. She wasn't a dog, just an average looking almost 30 year old working as a glorified clerk.

Therefore, it was to be expected that when Tim from Tech Support asked her if she was going to happy hour that night, she jumped on the chance. The tech guys weren't terribly smooth as a group, but they were sure a step up from the mostly older, very married and settled women in her department. Tim was kind of cute, in a geeky way. He had potential. Over the years, potential began to matter above the hunk factor.

So, when at 4:52 pm she picked up the last two requisitions, it was understandable that she didn't really pay attention or follow up the way the agency might have hoped. Two separate departments were assigning agents to what seemed to be the same op. But each op had a different number, so she shrugged, entered them and got her computer turned off. She had hair to fluff, and eyeliner to make smoky.

So it was that on Monday afternoon, when Auggie entered the Special Command center at One Police Plaza in New York City, he was told to set up his area by "the other spook". The cop who gave him that cryptic information waved him toward the second row of work stations. The one at the end was occupied by a blonde head wearing very expensive headphones he had given her a year earlier.

Knowing this supposed shining example of inter-agency cooperation was really all about turf and looking more important, he kept his cool outwardly.

"Walker. Good to see you. What aspect of this were you handling?"

It sounded very professional. What Annie heard was "Annie? What the hell are you doing here on MY op? Who the hell sent you? And how fast can I get you out of here?"

She answered just as coolly.

"Anderson. Glad to have you as support here"

Yeah, she thought, I went there. Support. She knew that would burn him faster than anything. But she was trying to hide her shock at seeing him. Even harder to hide was the electric thrill she got from his hand on her shoulder. He must have felt it too, she thought, because he pulled his hand away as if burned.

Auggie was reeling from the combination of her scent, her presence and the shot of feeling that travelled to some really interesting locales on his body at that mere touch. Wait? Did she just call him support? Oh hell no.

"It was great of you to lay ground work and set me up, but I can take it from here."

"Didn't do it for you. I was assigned to this cluster. Feel free to sit and watch."

The problem with knowing each other this well is they knew how to really get under each other's skin, all while being completely civil. To an onlooker, their conversation was that of colleagues discussing work. To them, it was an angry exchange.

Auggie let out a small huff of exasperation. She was giving him that tight distant smile. Considering how long he had known her, he had only had a short time to see and learn her expressions. This was the one he hated. She reminded him of Joan when she was pissed.

"I was sent to this joint-forces exercise for the obvious reasons. Why were you sent?"

Only the tightening of her lips betrayed her anger at his question. He was questioning why the CIA would bother with her when he was available.

"Because they are pretty sure this will involve the Intel coming in from several countries. Wouldn't it make sense to have someone here who can speak and translate in real time?"

Their voices had risen ever so slightly and in a room full of law enforcement types, it was getting noticed. The slight lack of conversation hit his more trained ears first. Annie saw Auggie tilt his head ever so slightly. She knew what that meant. He was hearing something she wasn't. Glancing around quickly, she saw right away.

"Anderson, we are both here. Let's just get through this and discuss bureaucratic SNAFU's later?"

"Agreed."

So, he sat down trying to stay as far from her as possible. It was bad enough her scent was tormenting him. He forced himself to focus on the computers in front of them and the larger screens showing the NY Metro area, including feeds to the 3 major airports, tunnels, bridges, miles of commuter rail lines and hundreds of potential targets cramped into one small geographical area.

As he flashed through the screens, the weather map stopped him cold. He stared at it and put it into motion twice. It took his quiet oath to make Annie aware of what he was watching.

"Is that as bad as it looks?"

"It might be"

A voice cut across the chatter. "Ladies and Gentlemen, if I could get your attention for a moment?" Some of you may have noticed the weather as part of the Intel we have provided. We just received word from the National Weather Service that the storms we were watching have intensified severely. There is the possibility of tornadoes making landfall locally. Therefore, we must focus our energies toward that real situation instead of a drill. For those of you who came a distance, I would recommend heading toward your accommodations. The airports are already experiencing severe delays. Thank you."

The atmosphere in the command center changed drastically. Local agencies were coming in and moving the national ones out. Annie and Auggie turned to find two women with Housing Authority credentials and windbreakers standing over them, waiting for their seats.

No one would need a spy today. They got up quickly. They grabbed their small overnight bags from under the desk. This wasn't supposed to go more than 2 days. One for the scenario and one for the analysis.

"If they aren't going tomorrow, and I'm guessing a cleanup will take precedence over a drill, I plan to head to Penn and grab Amtrak."

"No private jet for the super agent? I'm shocked."

Annie couldn't resist getting a jab in. Whatever Auggie was about to say was suddenly interrupted by someone yelling.

"Holy Shit! I think a twister just touched down on the Switching station at Jamaica! Oh crap! The whole electrical system just went."

Only the people from Washington looked puzzled. The rest of the room jumped and buzzed into action. Auggie looked at the big screens and shook his head.

"Ok, what does that mean?"

"What it means, doll, is that all those people who work on this little island but don't live here are going to be stuck here. The trains are all fucked up for sure."

"What about Amtrak?"

"Yeah, if nothing is getting in and out of Penn on LIRR side, it will really screw up Amtrak too. MetroNorth might be ok, but last time we had a storm like this, there were trees all over the tracks."

Annie grabbed her phone. She was supposed to have a reservation at hotel, but the last couple of times it hadn't been too good. She thought she would have plenty of time before the drill got underway to call.

"Shit Shit Shit!"

"That doesn't sound good"

For a brief moment, he sounded like the Auggie she remembered. It was exactly the kind of thing he would say in that precise tone. She snuck a peek. Damn! He even had done the slight head tilt that always silently commanded her confidences. It worked still.

"So, that girl in travel arrangements? She screwed up again. This is the third time. I knew I should have checked earlier. My room is gone. I am headed to Penn Station to wait it out there. Maybe I get lucky.

Auggie shut his eyes briefly. He knew what he was about to do was a huge mistake, but the manners his mother and the military beat into him won out.

"The agency has a place. I am staying there. We better stake it out as ours in case anyone else is stuck in Manhattan tonight."

"Really?"

The incredulity of her tone told him how far apart they had gone. Maybe, maybe, oh hell, there was no maybe or middle ground. He couldn't just be buddies with this woman. He went for the far ground. It was probably safer for him.

"Yeah, protocol says whatever agents are on the ground here can use it. I had planned to crash there anyway. You won't disturb me."

And just like that, she thought, Super Agent Anderson was back. Well, any port in a storm. She would sleep there and get the hell out of NY in the morning. How bad could one night be?

The apartment turned out to be on the second floor of a small building in the 20's. The building was innocuous. The apartment was sparsely decorated, but cozy. It was also a really small studio. At the expression on Annie's face, Auggie's lips twisted.

"You didn't expect the Agency to pay NY real estate prices for anything larger did you?"

"No, I guess not."

They picked up some Chinese and Iced teas. After changing into dry clothes, they sat at the small table in companionable silence, Annie reflected today was the most time in each other's company in a very long time. They commented on the weather, and how odd the sky still looked.

As they spoke, the sky grew darker again.

"Another band of these storms coming in."

"I think we better look for flashlights or candles."

They were in luck. They found one flashlight, and a store of candles. Annie also found a bottle. The timing turned out to be just right. They had just found the shot glasses when a loud clap of thunder was followed by a crack and the lights flickering. An almost eerie silence descended on the city with the pervasive darkness. It only took a moment before the noise level came back up again. Horns and sirens and people yelling told of a city that didn't sleep and didn't tolerate black outs.

Since regaining his sight, Auggie hated being in the dark. It had been his unwelcome companion for too long. But, he closed his eyes briefly and forced himself to remember those skills. Opening his eyes, he could make out rough shadows. It was more than he had worked with in the past.

Flipping open his phone, he found the candles and began to light them. With each lit candle, the gloom was pushed back. Annie took the one from the little kitchen counter and placed on the table beside the bottle and glasses.

"Wonder how long we'll be out. We might as well relax and have a drink. We can't go anywhere or do anything."

Auggie looked less than thrilled at the prospect of sitting in a tiny candlelit apartment with her. Great.

"I know you would rather be anywhere but here with me. But try to make the best of it, Agent Anderson"

The wind and rain continued to beat on the apartment windows. Other than the candles, the flashes of lightning were the only source of light. He could see the hurt she was trying to hide in her eyes. She drank two more shots in quick succession.

"You know what? Let's give this elephant a name. We are alone, no one can hear us. What the fuck is wrong with you Auggie?"

**We have had some really freak storms around here this summer and fall, so I thought this might have the feel of believable. The command centers, and how they behave are pretty true to life. And oh, yeah, the trains in NY going down like that would really screw up the commuters. Add a spot black out or two, and you have one crazy city. Told you, writing what I know!**

**I know you are all upset with this Auggie…..the evil bunny is being force fed chocolate as we speak by the other bunnies….so, stay tuned?**


	5. Chapter 5

**This was harder to write than I thought. The Annie and Auggie who live in my brain were yelling things that just didn't translate well onto the page, or screen. What? Doesn't everyone have an Auggie and Annie living in their mind?**

**Let me know if I got this right?**

**DISCLAIMER: I own the characters who live in my head, but the real versions are not mine, alas and alack!**

**CHAMELEON – Chapter 5**

It had been a long time since she called him Auggie. She had taken to calling him by his last name when she said anything to him lately. It reminded him of when his mother called him "August James". He knew he was really deep in it then. Auggie was what his friends called him. She knew that.

"Well, Auggie? Are you brave enough to face this? Or do you hide behind your protocols and super agent mask?"

Oh, she was pissed. Even if he couldn't see her face, he knew that note in her voice. He would love to pretend it was the Tequila talking, but really, he knew better. It was months of anger and frustration. He knew why, he knew he hated himself for causing it.

He tried to play it off as a joke. Hiding his real feelings behind that smirk she hated. He took a quick shot and laughed softly.

"Good job on finding this."

"Are you seriously going to do that? We are supposed to just leave it alone? We're supposed to pretend that we were never friends? Jeez, you are the blowhard that you accused Jai of being. Who knew Jai would be more real than you?"

She grabbed the bottle and poured herself a shot. She knew that was low, but was too angry to filter what she said. His whole body stiffened at that last comment.

"Jai Wilcox is a phony jerk. I thought you might be smarter than to fall for the pretty face. But your taste in men has been as questionable as your judgment of them. You headed to a sandy beach with Jai too?"

The gasp should have warned him he crossed a big line there. He was using what she had said to her best friend against her.

"You bastard!"

She shoved him hard, surprising him at first. But the wiry strong man she knew had filled out and gotten even stronger. The push moved him only a little.

"Screw you! I am going for a walk. I'll sleep on the sofa when I get back."

She headed for the door, but didn't count on him being faster and stronger. He beat her there and pushed the door closed and her against it.

"You bloody fool! This is New York City in a blackout. You just don't wander around out there."

His body had slammed her from behind he used his weight and strength to hold her there. It was a mistake for it put Auggie's body flush against Annie's softer curves. His words were meant in anger, but right against her ear, they buzzed and sent tingles down her spine. Instinct kicked in for them both. She pushed her body against his and moved her head so her throat was bared to him. He tightened his arm around her waist and tucked her stretched out against his length.

She forced herself to maintain her anger and shoved him backwards. He was caught in her unique scent and luscious curves cradling him in all the right places. It caught the trained agent and man unaware. She had moved him and her away from the door. Slipping from his embrace she went and had another shot. The delicious warmth fading fast, she tried to not miss it.

"You want me to stay? Start talking. Now. But here's the thing, you can't discuss what I told Auggie, my best friend and….. well you can't use that unless you plan to be Auggie again."

He watched the muscles in her throat move as she drank, mesmerized by the sight. Everything she did was a revelation to him. While trying not to stare at her over the last few months, he had been secretly cataloguing all her actions, comparing them to the sounds he had memorized. In order to keep from running his hands and lips over that neck, he grabbed the bottle and poured another shot.

"Auggie? You want Auggie? I'll bet you do. You really miss that best buddy, crying towel, and door mat. So sorry that my life will not revolve around your needs. I will explain it once to you. Try to follow along. I got my sight back. Do you even understand what that meant? I lost years of my life to blindness. I got another chance at life. That doesn't really happen to people "

"You idiot. It happens all the time. Not in the big dramatic way you got, but people get chances to start again. I started a new life at the CIA. I met a man who saw me better than anyone. You don't think that was a new beginning?"

"No. No. You don't understand. Who I was before, the man I was meant to be, I lost that. I had to become different, adapt, to make it in the only business I really understood. I got the chance to get my life back on the rails. I took it. If that man isn't your sweet, dependable lap dog, too bad. I stopped being the Saint Bernard."

Damn him. He did it again. Conversations with Auggie, the man who lived in her ear, and head and just before he vanished, her heart were being thrown back at her.

"So, instead of being that really amazing man who now had his sight back, you chose to be one of those self absorbed ass-holes. You know, the first day we met, I felt like I would know you forever. Do you get how rare that is? Let me tell you, from someone who spent their lives being really careful not to let that happen because oops, Daddy got transferred, that is amazing. That was a new beginning for me. Now? This man you have decided is the better man? If I met him today, I probably would have dismissed him like I did Conrad and almost did Jai."

"Jai? Jai Wilcox is an ass. He was probably given everything he ever did and he still thinks more is owed to him. I can't believe you and he…"

"For the record, nothing ever happened with him. But for the record as well, he turned out to be a better man than you came back and decided to be."

She went to take another shot and realized the bottle was empty. It had been only about a third full when they started and each had been taking shots, while taking shots at each other.

"A better man? Oh so he was willing to listen to you, all the while trying to get in your pants? Has that occurred to you? Maybe the sweet guy listening is thinking how to get you alone and naked with him?"

"Oh, like you ever planned that? Of course you did. I was the one notch you didn't have on your bedpost. You think I wanted to be one of those girls? Sorry your collection wasn't complete. Is that only what you thought of me? The conquest you didn't get? Why do you think that was?"

"Yeah, you didn't even think I was a man. I was Auggie, the neutered. Other women? Yeah, I had some fun. Why the hell not? But you really screwed that up too."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It means that the other girls couldn't compete with Annie Walker. None of them were smart enough, or smelled good enough or were you."

"Me? What about you? Every guy had to compare to you."

"No, they were all being compared to Ben"

She sucked in her breath at that name. She might have known he would go there. He knew better than anyone how hard Ben's death hit her.

"Ben? Ben left me. He spent 3 weeks loving me, making me feel like we had invented love and then the CIA tells him to take a walk and he does? You bet your ass I was comparing men to him. He was exactly what I didn't want. I wanted a man I knew wanted to be with me. I thought that man was…"

She stopped herself. Tequila bravery was good, but she still retained a little dignity. She headed for the door again. She had to clear her head. Annie was about to say something she had hidden in her heart waiting for Auggie to hear. This man wasn't Auggie, and it was killing her. Literally, she could feel her throat closing, looking for air, the emotions choking her. She got the doorknob turned and was suddenly grabbed again. This time, he spun her around so they were face to face. His body stretched against hers, but this time his hands had taken hers and held them up against the door.

"You thought that man was who?"

"No."

"Who, Annie? Say it."

She wasn't wearing heels, and was smaller than he remembered. But that brave front from a distance had made her seem taller. He leaned his head down and spoke to her ear, his breath curling her toes. That voice, lower and more intimate than she had heard in such a long time teased her memory. He kept asking, his mouth getting closer to her ear each time.

"Who, Annie? Tell me, who do you want?"

He could smell the slightest hint of that damned grapefruit fragrance she wore. He moved in more so he could absorb more of that scent. It had haunted him for months. He had hoped it was a figment of an over active memory, but that one tiny scent slammed into him like a freight train. He fought himself for his rapidly diminishing control.

"I want the man I knew back. I don't buy that you changed this much. That man was fundamentally good. This man, pinning me to the door, I don't want him near me. But if you find Auggie, the man I fell….."

She stopped herself in time. Damn. She had just congratulated on her control in answering him. She had managed to keep her voice even. She had managed not to sink against his larger frame. She had managed to guard her heart, so she thought. Of course he picked up on her slip. Damn.

"The man you fell? Fell what? Over because he was the doormat in your life? Or are you trying to tell me that you really fell for blind Auggie Anderson, Tech Op Support? Now that I've seen you, seen men following you, women like you don't fall for that guy. They are at best place holders until the Ben Mercers and Jai Wilcox's of the world come to sweep you up."

They were still pressed against each other at the door. Their desire for each other was warring with the anger inside them.

"You stupid jerk! You think you have it all figured out. You are so sure that behaving like an ass and throwing away relationships will make you super agent. Do you remember what I said? Sad, lonely old man if you live that long James Bond. "

"I don't think so."

"Oh yeah, because when you have decided to stop being a complete jerk, some bubble headed woman will fall into your life? Or maybe you can find Natasha?"

Pushed hard between the unyielding door and the equally unyielding body, she could feel him flinch at that blow. He pulled his face away from hers to look into her eyes. Even as angry as she was, she chastised herself for causing him pain. Oh, great, she thought, is this what being in love does, you are afraid to cause even the slightest pain….oh crap. That was it. She finally admitted to herself in just those terms. She was in love, even if the object of that love had twisted himself around. Her instinct was to soothe the hurt she had inflicted.

"Auggie, oh God, I am sorry, that was horrible. Auggie?"

In her need to make him better, she soften herself against him and leaned her face up toward his. He could see the change in her demeanor immediately. He looked down at their bodies pressed so tightly together. He still had his hands holding hers above her head. Only now, she wasn't fighting him. What the hell was he doing? He kept trying to hurt her and slam her into doors? Was this any way to treat the woman he…oh crap. There it was, the emotion he was trying keep locked up tightly.

It took the mention of the one woman he had loved in the past to pull him up short. What had Natasha called him, so buttoned up? He walked away from her for the sake of the agency. He thought he loved her enough to toss that away, but in the end, this job had won out. He almost got killed trying to run away from those emotions. It was why he was so afraid to let them out again.

He abruptly let go of her arms and stepped back. She only kept herself upright by pressing herself back against that door again. Her body mourned the loss of his against hers.

Shutting his eyes tightly against the sight of her hurt and bewildered face, he pinched the bridge of his nose. He could see the two choices that would affect the rest of his life behind those closed eyes.

Did walk away from Annie and force himself back on this tight path he needed in order to get back all those years of blindness as stolen? Or did he tell Annie the truth that he loved her, and was terrified he would again be de-railed. One was certain and careful. The other was more change. He could be the best of all those variations of August Anderson. God knows she alone forced them out.

He opened his eyes and looked at her. No matter what, he would see what he was doing. If he was going to say this to her, he would at least face this decision and her face with his eyes wide open.

**I know you all hate the cliffhanger thing. I don't know why I do that. Actually I do, the evil bunny and the others are still fighting. It might take a day or so. I wanted to give you all something to gnaw on until the battle wanes.**

**Reviews make bunnies get fluffy….**


	6. Chapter 6

**Now in addition to Halloween candy wrappers, there is still bunny fur flying. This chapter was a reluctant collaboration between them.**

**I must tell you all that I am really loving the thoughtful reviews this piece is getting. You take such time to think about all the aspects of my little world that I created. I know some of you would like to see me update faster. I would love to tell you I am one of those smart authors who know exactly what's next in her story arc. Truth? Sometimes I think a chapter will go one way and it gets hijacked. As some of you have pointed out, this is such a different look at Auggie. I don't want to rush it or blow it. **

**DISCLAIMER: I own a pair of teenagers. Don't you think I deserve Auggie as a recompense? No? So, I own teenagers only, it would seem.**

**CHAMELEON – Chapter 6**

She could see the inner demons he was fighting. The Auggie she knew and loved was trying to battle his way past Agent Anderson. Suddenly, he straightened and his remarkably expressive eyes snapped open. They pinned her to the door as a collector does to a butterfly. She couldn't move. He had made a decision.

Her heart sunk. He was hardening up again. She could see the chameleon morphing back into the person who would best blend into the agency as an operative. Shit.

"Annie, I can't. I know what you want from me. I can not. Do you understand that this job, this life I signed on for all those years ago came with certain rules, expectations? They gave my sight back to me. I am expected to use it. Being…_involved_ like this would be a mistake"

He turned away, not wanting to see the fire that their fight had lit in her extinguish. He believed he couldn't do his job effectively as the man she wanted.

"Coward."

The word grabbed him and whipped him back to face her. It was uttered with such contempt, that it stung him. He knew he should have better control.

"That's right. You heard me. You are a coward. I never would have taken you for one. You were fearless anytime you could get out in the field, even blind. I know fighting back to get and keep this job was a remarkable feat. But now? Coward!"

"What do you think I fear? You?"

"You fool. I know how badly Natasha hurt you. I know you feel. Or at least you did. You are terrified, not of bullets or fights but of feeling. Coward."

Each time she said the word he flinched. Damn. He should be better than this. He should be controlling this. Why wouldn't his training and skills kick in and let him handle this?

The little voice inside answered the rational agent. Because it's Annie. She lives in your heart. She always will. He thought Natasha had been the great love. She was amazing, but the connection with Annie made that seem like a junior high crush. The rational agent raged at his heart, reminding it that this kind of reaction was why he was walking away.

He strode back over to the door where she still stood. He knew getting close to her again was a mistake. He knew he should just move her aside and walk out the door, hang the storm and blackout. She was right. He was taking the coward's way out. They needed to finish this conversation, once and for all. Then he caught her scent again. Like a Pavlovian response, his blood heated and his body tightened.

She held her ground, not backing further into the door, but just waiting for him. Only her sped up breathing and wide eyes betrayed her emotional turmoil.

"This, us, no, it can not and will not happen. Do you think we can both be operatives together? Do you think they will allow us to work a cover together? We are not 86 and 99. The military and the CIA own my ass. They would not take to this well. Even if I wanted."

"That's it. Do you? Do you want? To hell with the agency. Tell me what you, Auggie, the man, not the agent want. Have the courage to at least tell me that truth, not what you have been hiding behind since you got back."

"Why are you pushing this so hard? Tell me why you need to know?"

He was afraid to hear the answer. He was even more afraid to never hear it. He was most afraid that he wouldn't be able to turn away after. But still, he had to hear.

He was standing very close to her again. The storm had abated somewhat, but the rain was still beating a tattoo on the windows. Every now and then the lightning, somewhat lessened would flash, dimmer but still there. It was as the storm that had raged between them this night. It had raged, caused damage in its wake, and was moving on. The effects would be felt long after.

Calling him a coward had been crossing a line. She knew it. She knew he wasn't a coward by any stretch. His unfailing strength in the face of every adversity had given her strength when she most needed it. He was a rock. Before he became this Agent Anderson, he was her rock.

She suddenly remembered that first day in the gym. She couldn't move him from far away. He was a tower of strength. But when she got in closer, he moved. She remembered how as she stepped in closer, his breathing hitched ever so slightly and he swallowed, as if bracing himself again. Funny, how she hadn't thought anything of it at the time. But memory sometimes gave you the gift of hindsight.

She could rail at him from afar, or get in close and move him. He was right. The agency wouldn't be delighted. But she had a feeling Joan would be on board. It was a risk. She was going in closer to move him.

"Why? Why am I pushing so hard?"

He stepped in even closer, since she spoke so quietly. He still had that remarkable sense of overdeveloped hearing. He could hear from this quiet voice of hers across the room. He should step back. He was a fool. He came right up to her.

"Tell me"

She leaned up to him as if to whisper, knowing he would bend. When she wore her heels, she only had to tilt her head a little. Now in flats, she had to draw him closer. Grabbing his head, and pulling it down so her mouth was a scant inch from his ear she took the risk.

"I did fall in love with Auggie Anderson. He was smarter, braver, and stronger than any man I ever knew. He was fearless, kind and funny. I somehow knew he would never leave. I didn't want him to, and I didn't want to leave him. He was not a place holder. _He was the man_."

If she hadn't been holding onto his head, it would have reared back. As it was, the feel of that hand, gently but firmly holding him, burned into him. His body, already on hyper alert from her nearness, begged his brain for permission.

There it was. The words he was simultaneously terrified of hearing and never hearing were now seared from his tingling ears into his brain. Why hadn't she said this before? He was getting signals then, but had wanted to make sure she was ready. Apparently she had been. Damn the timing.

"So, now you know. How do you feel? Are you brave enough? Here the thing. Agent Anderson won't give a shit. Auggie will. We know how this thing with Agent Anderson works. We have tonight. No one is here but us. If you are brave enough, give Auggie a chance. Before you walk away, understand what you're turning away."

She took the biggest of risks here. If they took tonight, just them, Annie and Auggie and he walked away from them in the morning. It might just destroy her. But Annie had to try. She had one shot at this. If she never tried, bitter regret would join the heartbreak.

Sliding her hands around to cup his face in her hands, she stroked the slight shadows on his face. His tan was fading. The storm had tossed his hair. He looked more like Auggie than he had in months. She kept her eyes locked on his. If this was all she was getting, she would memorize each moment. His eyes closed for a moment. She saw that battle again. When his eyes opened this time, they were filled with the warmth she had missed.

Her suggestion was outrageous. It was probably a mistake. They would both regret allowing themselves this night. Then her thumbs caressed his cheeks like a benediction. He tried to climb back inside the agent and find the strength. It was that darkness, that familiar darkness that heightened his senses that made his decision. He exalted that he could open his eyes and see her. He did, and she was right there, better than all those dreams over the last lonely months.

He leaned forward and allowed himself the kiss he had been imagining. His body and heart high fived and took over. Damn the brain and full speed ahead. Their first kiss was a gentle meeting of lips afraid this was too good to be real. He felt more than heard her soft sigh. It was all he needed. Pushing her against the door, he let all that feeling pour into the kiss.

The unyielding door was against her back. And the only slightly more yielding Auggie was against her front. It was wonderful. Wrapping her arms around all that heat, she let him kiss her. He angled his head and tasted every inch of her mouth, starting with nibbling kisses on her lips and working his way in.

No surprise, he was really good at this. Each stroke of his tongue pulled an answering response deep within her. All the tiny details of the moment assaulted her senses. The very slight rasp of that shadow on his face delighted her skin. The taste of tequila and something darker and richer. It was the taste of him. She couldn't get close enough.

He pulled his body back just slightly, bent down and ran his hands down her back, over her hips. She could feel his body responding to her as well. The delicious heat spread and this wasn't enough, she had to be closer. Without awareness, her leg reached up and around him.

He felt her drawing herself closer and up on him. Never one to not assist a lady, he pulled her up under her ass and wrapped those long legs around him. Her softness now corresponded perfectly with hard heat. Their moans also corresponded.

Suddenly he pulled back, and let her down. He pushed her back against that damned door and looked, really looked. Her mouth was already swollen from being thoroughly kissed, her hair was mussed and her eyes, dear God her heart was in those eyes. As the moment dragged between them a small fear grew in her eyes.

"No, Annie no. Not like this."

Suddenly he shoved her aside and all but tore the door off its hinges. Coward. His body and heart screamed it at him this time. The agent who had faced down guns and potential assassins ran from this too real emotion like a frightened school girl. As he stepped out of the building, he registered that the rain had stopped. The water dripped still from the torn canopy overhead. Suddenly, in a cacophony of blazing noise, the power came back. The city roared back to light and his own phone buzzed. He glanced at it cautiously, fearing it was her. Not that woman, but another equally terrifying. Joan. He moved down the block slightly in order to improve the reception.

"Auggie? What's your status?"

"At location Nexxus with Walker. All is well. Power outages from the storm knocked out cell service. The trains service is a mess. We are headed back first thing in the AM."

His answer was all business. Joan knew that apartment in New York. She and Arthur had to use it once. It was an anomaly in their world since those walls didn't have ears.

"Auggie. That location is silent, do you understand? This is your opportunity to clarify that situation."

He knew what she was saying. He also knew she was on an agency line. Joan had been urging him to talk to Annie. But her story had been the exception. He started walking without being aware of it. The pent up energy not released propelled him.

"Understood. I think that situation is as clear as circumstances will allow. I think it's best to not muddy those waters."

"Coward. You will spend a long time regretting this."

Great. It wasn't bad enough Annie and his heart were lashing him with that word, now Joan had joined in the chorus. Damn. There was no way to have this conversation on this phone.

"Auggie? I know what you're thinking and you are so wrong here. This can and will be worked out if you are as smart enough. Do you understand me? It's been cleared. Take the shot."

What? Did she just tell him they would let them be together? No way does the CIA allow this.

"No repercussions?"

"Only from a certain desk on the seventh floor"

Jai. She was telling him Jai would be jealous and everything else could be worked out.

"Why is this being authorized?"

He had to know what had changed. The agency promoted dating within itself to keep that circle of trust. But he and Annie had never fit into the normal mold there. She had been pulled and used as bait. He had been given a job when he was blind. Now the government owned him essentially. They were not known for being romantics. They would expect his full attention and focus. He wanted the go ahead. He needed to know this would not come back to bite him.

"This is being perceived as the best of all worlds together. Get back here, but you and Walker are being given a two day leave. Tell her to use it wisely."

The line went dead.

Air rushed into his lungs. The weight had been lifted and he could really breathe again. He looked around. His agitation had taken him 6 blocks. Turning, he sprinted back. Fortunately, in this city, no one even looked twice at the man running as if his life depended upon it. He ran up the stairs to the apartment. Using the key, he let himself in.

"Annie?"

It took but a moment to see the tiny apartment was empty.

**I sometimes see Joan as a reluctant Fairy Godmother for them. I don't think her character is meant that way, but I see it. She clearly likes Auggie better than Jai. Smart Girl.**

**Are we all still here?**

**One last thing. Could someone PM me with the link to a forum or discussion board for this show?**


	7. Chapter 7

**This is another of those chapters that had be walking around talking to myself. I hope it makes sense to you all. **

**Speaking of talking to myself, quick poll here. For those of you who write, do people in your real life know about it? I feel like this little world of fan fiction here and on other shows are my little personal escape. My family knows I write, but have no idea what. LOL, I think they are afraid to ask! Just wondering if anyone else does that?**

**DISCLAIMER: Nothing…. I got nothing kids….sigh.**

**CHAMELEON – Chapter 7**

Frustration, Fury and Heartbreak were wrestling for control. Each wanted to pull her in a different direction after the door slammed behind him.

Frustration howled at being so close to a man, especially the man she really wanted and not getting what she wanted. It had been way too long for her. She now knew how that cat on a hot tin roof felt.

Fury was blazing mad. How dare he give up? How dare he not know what that was doing to her? Who did he think he was, anyway?

Heartbreak could barely gather a coherent thought. She wanted to curl up on that lone bed and sob the night away. Some cookie dough would help too. She could feel herself shattering.

They all agreed on one theme. Damn the man! God Damn the Man.

God Damn him for kissing her into jelly-knee submission and walking away.

God Damn him for being the super agent Anderson and not giving them a chance.

God Damn him for breaking her heart and crushing her hopes.

Fury won out. Did he really think she was just going to stay here while he 'walked it off'? What the hell? No. Screw the storm, it was over anyway. Screw the blackout. Screw New York City. She had travelled the world on her own. Penn was only about 10 blocks. She would just go there and credential her way onto the first train south.

She grabbed her damp clothes and threw them in a plastic bag. She searched the closets and came up with an umbrella. This would have been handy earlier. She took it with her. She could always use it as a battering ram to get on Amtrak.

Blowing out the candles, she looked at the bottle of tequila that provided the liquid courage to tell him. She was never drinking that crap again.

She was less than a block away when the lights came on. Her cell, finally finding service in a previously powerless world, buzzed and buzzed. Missed calls and messages, she saw. Without even looking she knew at least 4 of them would be from Danielle. Annie had told her she was headed to the Museum of Natural History for a 2 day conference. Sure enough, a voice mail and 2 texts from her sister awaited her. There was no way she could speak to Danielle right now. She was on the brink of crying and her sister's voice would send her over. She sent a quick text telling her she was fine and found someone at the museum to stay with. Explaining service was spotty, she would call her in the morning.

A missed text from Joan. It was sent to them both. Screw it. She would allow Agent Anderson to handle that. The missed call and texts from Jai made her smile ruefully. He was flying into Newark and did she want him to get a car and come get her? Who would have thought Mr. Son of the CIA would turn out to be such a good guy? As tempting as his offer was, she texted him a no. It wouldn't be fair to raise his hopes. She wouldn't use him like that. Maybe, if her heart ever repaired, oh who was she kidding. She wasn't coming back from this one so easily.

A text from Auggie came in just after she sent one off to Jai. He wanted to know where she had gone and could they talk? Fury reared her head again and answered before Heartbreak and Frustration could weigh in.

Another buzz. And it was staring to drizzle again. She popped the umbrella after determining she had gone about 6 blocks. Ducking into a canopied doorway, she looked at the phone. Joan was calling again. Crap. She couldn't avoid this forever, and she was the boss. She took a long breath in and out to calm her voice.

"Annie? Where are you? Auggie called back, he's frantic. Are you walking around New York during a blackout?"

"Joan, the blackout is pretty much over. Otherwise my cell wouldn't be working. You can tell Agent Anderson that I am fine. I am headed down to Penn."

"Between the storm, the switching problem and the blackout, Penn is a mess. You are better off at the apartment. Wait it out overnight and come back in the morning"

"Negative. I will be much more comfortable at Penn than with, well at that other location."

"Annie, this is a secure line. I need you to listen. I talked to Auggie. I don't think you have all the information."

"I have everything I need, believe me."

"No, you don't. Auggie was Special Forces. Your father was career Army. You should understand the pull of duty better than anyone. When he was hurt, he thought a place was made here for him out of pity. It wasn't. His skills and knowledge even blind surpassed a lot of people. We weren't letting that get away. True to form, he excelled at doing a difficult job and doing it blind. He feels a strong sense of obligation here."

"Joan, I understand duty and honor. Just tell me where that says you have to behave like a jackass and turn away from people who…from people who are your friends?"

"What you don't know is when they offered him the surgery, and said he had to be reactivated; they thought he would re-up for 6 months. He chose to stay for another 2 years. He felt like it was his duty. And they played upon that. Once they realized they had him, they made him feel like he owed them all big time."

"So why did he and why is he still…."

"Because they told him this was his only priority. Nothing else could be in his life. I know, it's a lot, but you know how they work. And want him, his talents and focus only on what they want."

"And becoming Agent Anderson, super-agent was how he would do it?"

"Frankly, yes. Auggie has never done anything half-way. Take a look past that façade he created to fit back in here. He's in agony. Every move you make is catalogued. I am pretty sure he has talked the tech op guys into reporting your movements."

"Even if that's true, he had a chance…"

"Annie, I know that apartment. I know how small it is. I can imagine what kind of booze has been left there. I remember this."

"Joan, then you probably guessed he walked away."

"Yes he did. I just spoke to him. I told him that I had a meeting with some people who were going to back off him."

"What does that mean?"

"It means he won't be torn apart by this any longer. They weren't getting his best work. Oh, it was good. And just good for Auggie is miles ahead of anyone else. But his heart was slowly breaking, and he was breaking it himself. Normally, the dating patterns of my agents don't interest me at all. But this was affecting my department. I had to arrange to keep you, two of my best, apart from each other. The logistics were wearing on me and my staff."

"Now he has permission and I should be happy? Is that about the sum of this? Well thank you for your kind help here. But if he wasn't willing to have this fight himself, I don't know if he's the Auggie I thought. I will see you in the morning."

Snapping the phone shut, Fury shouted down heartbreak that wanted to go back and give him another chance. She wasn't even going think about Frustration. It really had been too long.

"Annie?"

No. He was not really here. Yes, standing in the rain, soaking wet, there he stood. He was drenched in a t-shirt plastered to his body. Oh my God, his body. Frustration drooled all over herself. Heartbreak reminded her that this was like a great chick flick. Fury was looking for its footing.

"I'm a jackass. Agent Anderson is a freaking moron. I hate him. Can we talk?"

"Why? Because Mommy Joan gave you permission?"

"No. Because I was an ass. When Joan told me she had fought for us, I was delighted. But then I was embarrassed. I ran back and you were gone. I should have fought for you. I should have been the one storming the seventh floor. I should have looked at you that first day back and dragged you out of that office to a quiet room and told you all that I felt. I did none of those things."

"No. You didn't."

"I was terrified. Being blown up, losing my sight, facing weapons and enemy agents were nothing to that fear. I was convinced that my first duty was to my country, to the Agency. I did what they told me. I should have listened to my own inner voice.

"But you didn't"

"I know. I was given this amazing second chance. I need to know, Annie, did I completely blow it?"

"What do you want?"

"I want what I have wanted for three years. I want you."

He stood there in the rain, looking amazing, pouring his heart out. His eyes that used to look toward her, now looked right at her. She was still so angry and then, he tilted his head ever so slightly. It was that, the gesture that was still so Auggie that did her in. He was there."

"Auggie, I don't…"

She called him Auggie. It was a small tell, but to a trained agent, it was all he needed. He stepped toward her and ducked under the umbrella. The rest could wait.

Maybe it was the water dripping from him. But he only managed to get in one of those bone melting quick kisses before she pulled back.

"Auggie, I can't. God knows I want to, but no. You're doing it again. The chameleon strikes. Joan told you it was all clear. You were given permission and now you are changing back again? No."

"Annie, it isn't about Joan, or the agency."

"Yes, it is. I laid it all on the line. You ran like hell. I get that you thought you had one option, duty, service. I get that. But if we, this is going to work, we have to be honest. I think I will wonder if you would have come back without Joan's call? I think you will wonder that too."

"Annie, I want this, us, you have to know that. I always have."

"Auggie, you're in there. But it scares me a little that you can turn this all on and off so easily. I know we have to for our jobs. But you have to find the real Agent Auggie Anderson. Because I don't think he is just one or the other. And if you turn one off or on like that, you will lose the real you."

He ran one damp hand down her equally damp cheek. She didn't even notice that tears had been running down her face. He hated himself. He had done this, make strong confident Annie Walker cry. He knew he could probably pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless. Hell, he would be senseless too. But he had waited all this time for her. She was worth the time it would take to make her sure of him.

"Ok Annie, OK. I screwed this up big time. I understand that I need to earn that trust back. But can we at least go back to the apartment? I am drenched here."

"You go back. I think I need to be on my own for a bit. Yeah, I know, alone in a packed train station. But the rain has stopped again, and I will just meet you at work tomorrow."

"No, you won't. Joan gave us a couple of days off. Maybe we could spend tomorrow together? You know, outside work like normal people? I won't push, but I am not walking away until you tell me to leave."

The umbrella fell from her nerveless fingers as he caressed her face. Oh God, why did she tell him no? The man was devastating her with just a caress to her cheek. The thought of what those talented fingers could do elsewhere had Frustration howling at her. She opened her eyes and saw his little half smile, with that damned dimple peeking out. No one man should be this freaking cute and sexy at the same time.

Giving her one more swift kiss, he bent and handed her back the umbrella. The look on her face as he allowed his fingers to touch that softness gave him hope. Her words had been rough. He had been even rougher on her. He had scorched some earth and bridges. It would take time to repair them. As long as she was willing to let him, he would train all his energies there.

"I know you want to be alone, but it's a little crazy out here. Maybe I walk you to Penn? I won't talk or push. I just, well think of it as making sure you get home ok. Some habits die hard."

Just as she was about to answer, the world went dark again.

**You should know, the end of this chapter got hijacked. Sorry…..I am trying to corral the bunnies. You all still with me?**


	8. Chapter 8

**Finally back to this! Hellacious weekend that included a trip to the ER, and son in the hospital for the weekend is finally over. (He's fine) You would all be proud to know that I wrote some of this in the ER on my netbook while doing the hospital "hurry up and wait"**

**This chapter is a little short. Don't throw things at me or the bunnies yet. The next chapter is started and will be worth it, I promise.**

**Thank you all again for the reviews and encouragement. This was supposed to be this little idea of a story and I can't believe I am working on the 9****th**** chapter. **

**CHAMELEON - Chapter 8**

He adjusted to the blackout first. He grabbed her hand and pulled her closer in toward him. It didn't matter that she was a well trained strong agent. In that brief moment, he was alpha male, protecting his woman. Even more surprising, she let him.

"That's it Annie. This is about to get ugly. We're closer to Penn, but that's going to look like Calcutta on a bad day. Stay close. We're going back to the apartment."

The rain had stopped again, mercifully, so they managed to get back to the sanctuary of that tiny refuge without further adventure. Once inside, Auggie locked the doors and began to take off clothes. Annie had started to light candles before she noticed the show. Not that it wasn't impressive, but she had to ask.

"What are you doing?"

Privately, she congratulated herself on sounding so calm. She knew that even before, he was all lean muscle. Now, he had filled out even more and the view was a sight for any woman, let alone one in love. He was one of those men who seemed larger without clothing. It was a warrior's body, well toned without being bulky. He turned and she had to fight the urge to run her tongue over the tattoo and where it pointed.

"Annie, I am dripping. This place is too small without my bringing a gallon of rainwater all over. Hand me my bag. I have a set of workout clothes. Then I will wring this out and hope something is dry by morning. Unless you want me to get right down to business?"

That big grin was all Auggie. She laughed, feeling a tightness that had wedged in her chest for months ease a little. She missed this closeness, this flirty teasing. She missed that he could read her. How the hell had he turned that off like that? It still worried her.

She said none of this. Instead she smiled and got a couple of towels from the cupboard. He caught them as she tossed them to him with another big grin. He was feeling a little victorious. This wouldn't be fixed overnight, but she was here. That was better than her brooding in an overcrowded train station. He wrapped a towel around himself and got completely undressed. He knew she was looking as he went for his bag and headed for the bathroom to dress. In a move that was as old as time, he squared his shoulders and stood tall as he walked. If she was going to enjoy the view, he would give her something to look at. He dropped the towel just before the bathroom door closed.

Holy crap. How the hell was she supposed to spend the night, let alone sleep after that show? Her mouth went dry as the moisture clearly headed south. It was going to be a long night. Maybe there was another bottle and she could drink that memory away. Oh hell. That view was seared on her memory.

He came out wearing a t-shirt and baggy shorts. She tried not to think of about what lay under that lucky fabric.

"Well, that's better. I hope this stuff dries. Are you wet at all?

Oh crap. Wasn't that a loaded question right now? She resisted the urge to invite him to find out on his own.

"Mmm, not too bad. I had an umbrella. What time is it anyway? I am exhausted."

Hopefully, she could just crawl onto that be or lumpy sofa and sleep. Between the weather, tequila and emotional storms, she was ready to crash. The phones had no service but at least she had an idea on the time. Almost 10. Was that too early to hide behind sleeping?

Annie, if you want to sleep, go ahead, take the bed. I think I can find a blanket to roll up in"

"You're sleeping on the floor?"

"Oh hell yes. I think that sofa would be short for you. After some of the places I have been, a nice dry solid floor under a real roof will feel like the Ritz"

The smile flashed again. Really, it was remarkable how much himself he was acting. How did he do that? Which was the real him? He assumed both persona's with such ease.

She had planned to sleep and not really talk again tonight. But now the question was niggling at her. She had to ask.

"I don't understand how you manage this?"

"Manage what? Sleeping on the floor? Years of careful training by Uncle Sam"

"Stop it."

"What"

She was pissed and he had no idea why. He was trying to keep it light and not press any real issues tonight. Ok, the towel drop might have been a big much. But he saw her face. He didn't see anger flash in her eyes. Actually, there was a very different kind of heat. He smiled a little at the thought.

"This isn't funny, Auggie"

"OK, I really don't know why you are pissed here. Could you give me a clue or draw me a map?"

"Who the hell are you?"

"What?"

"You heard me. Who the hell are you? Are you Auggie, the man I met who brought me to Joan's office? The one who I fell, oh hell, the one I fell in love with? Or are you Agent Anderson, the ass who has been walking around like he invented the CIA?"

Typical Annie, seeing it all clearly and cutting right to the chase. He knew she had been wondering about the change in him. Jai had already lit into him about it. Joan had been hinting that he needed to talk to her. He was hoping they could get some sleep and talk when they were both fresh in the morning. Those expressive eyes were pools of hurt and confusion. This couldn't wait.

"I guess the short answer is both."

"Really? You think that's an answer?"

"No, I guess not. Sit down. Let me try to make some sense of this."

He started pacing as he talked. It was never in his nature to sit still. Even blind, he would pace around the tech center to keep moving. It was hard to know where to start. It was pretty confusing.

"I was recruited out of college. Actually, I was ROTC, and recruited via that. I had computer skills, and was let's say pretty smart. I started here and was fascinated by the whole place. I made it my business to learn everything there was to know about the Agency and spying. I was good at it. It came easy to me. I thought I had to be a certain person to do this job."

She nodded at all this. Most of it confirmed what she knew or had been told by Jai and Joan. He had been on his way to being the best. Pretty smart was an understatement. He was brilliant.

"They wanted my computer abilities to infiltrate the world of the hackers. Rightly so, it was seen to be the new frontier of information and terrorism. They needed to have someone who could blend in. So, I let my hair grow out and learned to lose some of the military stance and speech. I told you how I met Natasha."

"Yes, and I know what happened after."

"You know most of it. I did get myself activated to avoid the Agency for a while. It turned out they needed my skills in Special Forces. I had done training with them and they were happy to have someone with my clearance and knowledge."

"I am sure they did"

"Needless to say, getting blinded by an exploding dog was not part of my plan to avoid the Agency and Natasha. So, I was blind and needed a job. Joan was nice enough to find me a place."

"About that? I keep hearing from everyone that they were damned lucky to get you back."

"So they say. Anyway, the agent who left, the man who had the world at his feet was gone. I felt like the techno-geek who was my cover. So, I guess I became like him. It made it easier to do that job."

"No. Wait. You want me to believe you just put on Auggie like a coat?"

"Not completely. He was a part of me. I really was kind of a geek in high school. And since I wasn't as good looking as my older brothers, I had to work harder to get the girls. I was somewhat athletic. I ran track, but my brothers played basketball and football. I was a lot skinnier, kind of the younger runt of the family."

"Wait, your brothers are better looking than you?"

He smiled at the incredulity in her voice. He wondered if she met the Andersons in a group, would she have picked him out. Probably not, but still it was nice to not be compared to them.

"General wisdom has it that way. Anyway, the nice guy who girls liked was a lot like me too. Girls used to be friendly with me to get to my brothers. I learned to hang with them and liked women. I learned a lot that way. Then when I was blind, it opened up a whole new angle on women. A lot of them are sure their looks don't matter."

"And they do?"

"Well, men are visual creatures, you know that. You don't think every guy there saw how close we were and didn't make it their business to tell me what you looked like?"

"Why would they do that?"

"It was pretty much the opinion that you and your looks, (they didn't exaggerate) were wasted on my sorry blind ass even if we were just friends. They thought I should back off and let them have the field."

"So, it explains the man I met. I understand you thought you had to be super Agent Anderson when you came back. What I don't know is which one is really you? You behaved so differently. You never explained it to me. You never even wanted to speak to me. It was like you turned off that wonderful man. And now, you're switching that back on again. That's what I don't understand. That's what I don't know if can trust"

There it all was, she thought. She hoped she would be able to keep some of this back. She thought she might not have to ask that question. She had hoped he would just open that up. A big part of her was disappointed. But, they were trained agents. They spent their lives only giving up the bare minimum.

Trust. In their world, information and power were currency of their world. Using and manipulating people to get information and therefore power was how the agency worked. They understood and accepted this necessity. Trust was dangled as part of the equation. You were trained never to truly trust. Their relationship had always defied that expectation within the CIA. It had been as a diamond in a dollar store, rare and shining amongst the cheap plastic. Auggie knew she wanted that trust back. So did he.

"I don't know, Annie. I want to tell you that the Auggie you knew is the real me. But the truth is they are all me. Every person I had to be to get to this moment is me. The insecure youngest who would be whatever that older brother wanted in order to fit in, formed me. All of it, college, ROTC, the agency, Special Forces, even that damned dog, made who I am today."

"Where does super Agent fit into that? Because I kind of hated him."

"Yeah, I know you weren't alone on that one. I didn't love him either. But I really believe that if I came back just as 'good old Auggie who can see now,', they would never have put me back into the field the same way. I would have been support guy, not the point guy. It may seem shallow to you, but I lost years sitting in that chair. I had been an action person. I needed to be him again."

"So, explain why that meant you were a jerk to me?"

This was it. The moment of truth. She had opened up and told him the truth. Could he do any less? Suddenly, the courage he had drawn upon over the years seemed hard to find. She was watching him from that sofa, her leg curled up under her, and he wanted nothing more than to snatch her up and kiss her till she just knew. But she deserved to know it all. He hoped she would understand, and forgive him. If she didn't, it would make that moment of terror when he knew he was blind seem as nothing.

**No throwing things at the computer! I promise the next chapter will be up soon! The bunnies are rocking and rolling here. We all still here?**


	9. Chapter 9

**Alright already! Here it is. The one that explains it all. I hope it makes sense, because to tell you the truth, I had no idea what the hell the explanation was. Thank God the bunnies had my back on this! **

**One more note - I usually make myself sleep on a new chapter. I find it the best way to self edit. But I got this written and am such a review whore that I couldn't wait to see what you all thought. That's my out in case this is still rough.**

**DISCLAIMER: Too tired and cold and damp to be clever here. I don't own them. Damnit!**

**CHAMELEON – Chapter 9**

Auggie took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, she was looking up at him with a calm patience. He could see that she was gathering her courage to understand whatever he was going to explain.

"Annie, when I was injured and my sight restored, they spent time explaining what would be expected of me. You know the military expectations. Their needs supersede all others."

Having been dragged around the world, and moved everywhere as a child, she truly did understand that. Duty wasn't just a word. Their families lived it as well.

"So you thought ignoring me was your duty?"

"Annie, when I came to, they asked me about you."

"Why? Because they read your file and knew we were….close?"

"Partially. Mostly because when I was coming around, I said your name. I said your name a lot. Because of my clearance level, they monitored me carefully when I was under anesthesia, and when I was unconscious. They debriefed me regarding my semi-conscious utterances."

"Seriously? No, wait, of course they did"

He sat down next to her and picked up one of her hands. His fingers traced the lines in her palm as he used to do when he was blind. It seemed small and fragile in his hands. Her nails were manicured, but not long, with no polish. It was just one of those things he used to wonder about her, what her hands were like. The blue veins that he traced on her wrist fascinated him. But everything about her enthralled her when he couldn't see her. Seeing her was a new gift each time. If he went blind again tomorrow, the only sight he would ever miss would be her.

She watched him caress her hands. His head was bent and she had the most compelling urge to run her fingers through those disheveled brown stands. She knew already it was soft. She also knew he could feel her pulse racing from that little stroking. She forced herself to sit still. She needed to hear this all.

"Annie, after I was debriefed, they spoke to me about my new role with the army and the CIA. What it meant. What was expected of me. I had given my word that I was theirs for that time. I knew what that meant. I would do my duty; fulfill my obligations as honorably as possible and to the very best of all my abilities."

Of course he would. He never did anything half way. If there was a way to do a job, Auggie found it, usually faster and smarter than most. If her niece's class needed a tour of the Smithsonian and the agency screwed that up, Auggie fixed it. While most people would have stopped with a phone call, he jumped in and gave a tour, blind. That might have been the moment she realized she could love this man.

"They told me, was that my personal life was not a priority to them. I was told to 'engage when and only if it meant securing a cover and completing a mission".

"What does that mean?"

"If they wanted me to have a personal romantic life, they would have issued me one."

He looked up from her hands to see if she understood. More importantly, if she would forgive him.

"Oh God. They ordered you to break ties with me, didn't they?"

His head just tilted a bit. It was all the answer she needed. She knew enough about their world and the military to believe it. But they were both agents. The agency preferred they date within the company. Why would this be a problem?

"Why me?"

"They did look carefully at my file. At the work I had done here. I did good work, they knew that. They even said I did my best work for you. But I also took more risks, was willing to break protocol and circumvent procedures and rules for you. It was decided that even though as a team we would be extremely effective, we would more likely be less controllable. They don't like the 'x' factor."

"And you agreed? That was it, wasn't it? The deal with the devil that you made. They gave you back your sight and you had to give up…"

"The woman I had fallen in love with. Yes. I said it. It's very romantic and tragic when you say it like that. It sounded so noble in a general's office. But the reality sucked. I watched as Jai Wilcox comforted you. I was so afraid you would really turn to him."

"He was a friend, a good friend to me. I knew he wanted ….wait, did you just say the woman you had fallen in love with?"

He had a half smile on his face as he waited for her to process fully what he had told her. Picking up her hand, he pressed a kiss into her palm, savoring the softness of her hands and her scent.

"Yeah. I knew before that last night, before Sri Lanka, before…I am not even sure when I was sure. I just knew. You are sweet, smart, funny, and got me. You and I just clicked very early on. I thought maybe it was because you were hot. Even blind I knew that. Then I thought it was because you didn't seem to care that I was blind. You didn't dance around it. You just accepted that it was a part of me and accepted that. I felt like the best version of myself around you. When Ben died, I wanted to kill him again for hurting you like that. I didn't say anything because you were still getting over him."

"So, you loved me?'

"Not past tense, Annie. Still do. Pretty certain, I always will"

"You love me?"

He smiled at her then. It was a real smile, the kind that lit up his face and her heart. Dropping her hands, he cupped his around her face and spoke the words slowly. He had been waiting a very long time to tell her. Since he could see her face, even in the low candlelight, he wanted to memorize each detail. Her eyes were open wide, waiting for him.

"Yes, Annie Walker, I love you. I am in love with you."

He saw her pupils dilate, her lips part and her breath come out in a sigh. No man should ever miss that sight, and he almost had. Pulling her face towards his, he kissed her, softly, slowly and carefully. Suddenly, he wasn't pulling her toward him, she was leaning into that kiss.

Annie's head was spinning deliciously. Auggie loved her. He was kissing her with all that love, nothing held back. He had to give her up because…wait. She pulled her head back and looked at him. Something was missing.

Auggie felt it the moment she figured it out. He was hoping to not have to tell her this. It would infuriate her. He wanted just to be able to do his job with her. Oh, no, her eyes were narrowed. Damn. She wanted the last piece.

"Why? Why wouldn't you just tell me? We could have found a way to communicate. You could have explained all this to me. The Auggie I knew who would make that sacrifice would have figured a way. What am I missing here? Oh, God. They didn't just order you. They threatened you. With what?"

He looked away, almost as he did when he was blind. Whatever it was, it was big and he didn't want to tell her. She thought quickly through scenarios in her head. What would scare him? His family? No, he would tell her that. His job? No, with his sight, he would be hired anywhere with his skills. What wouldn't he tell her and why?

Oh. It was her. She was the threat they leveled at him. He had told her a long time ago that he liked her and would protect her. It was a theme of his over and over from when they first started working together. He was protecting her.

"Auggie? They threatened you with me, didn't they? What did they say they were going to do to me?"

He remained silent for a moment. The good soldier, trained agent and the man in love battling it out over what to do here. He never wanted her to carry this burden. He didn't mind. He would always protect her. But she knew that. The trouble with loving a smart woman was she picked it all up too fast.

"Auggie, you were protecting me, weren't you? You still are by keeping quiet. Damnit Auggie! Tell me! Remember that I am a trained agent too. Trust me?"

Trust. It all came back to that. Did he trust her? Of course. What he didn't trust was her anger when she found the truth.

"Espionage."

"Me? No way! How could they, I mean what would they use?"

"Sri Lanka."

He was still trying not to tell her the whole thing. But he was pretty sure she would put those pieces all together. Her brains were part of what he loved.

"Sri Lanka? Oh, Ben again. Because he went rogue, they assumed I was a part of it. They always kind of assumed that didn't they? Hiring me was the risk they took in flushing him out of hiding. It was also why they didn't want us working together was it? But Jai knew. He knew what happened there. Oh. They would pressure him. Use his father. How bad was it going to be?"

"Bad. They would have dragged all your time with Mercer out again. They would somehow connect you to his death. And they would drag your family into it as well. You love your sister and nieces. It would have killed you to see them hurt."

"So you decided to protect me."

"Yes. Besides having to live the nightmare of his death again, an espionage charge, even if you managed to get cleared, would ruin your life. It seemed a simple enough choice. Being Agent Anderson solved all my problems. I would get into a better position in the Agency. I would for sure piss you off. I knew how much you disliked that type of guy. Therefore you wouldn't want to be around me. When my tour of duty was up, I had decided to tell you. By then, I figured to have enough juice to keep you safe. Simple right?"

"Was it?"

"On paper, it was brilliant. In reality, I saw your face in Joan's office that first day and almost lost it then. I was hanging onto my control by a thread. Watching Jai with you, I wanted to kill him"

"Who knows?"

It was a valid question. Who possesses information and when is crucial in any operation. This was an operation of sorts, she knew.

"Arthur knew the whole thing. I am pretty sure Joan guessed part of it. Jai only knew that I was being a jerk to move up the ladder at the agency."

Part of her was furious at him. He should have trusted her with the whole truth from the beginning. They could have faced it together. No, they couldn't. The agency would have charged her and kept him even further away. It was such an Auggie thing to do. She loved his fierce loyalty. He was a kind of a throwback to a true hero type, protecting the woman he loved even if it meant he would lose her. Wait. Woman he loved.

"So, now what?"

"Now, Joan went and fought for us. I was ashamed that I couldn't and didn't. I think she pieced it together. She likes you. She always has. She disliked what they put you through at the beginning. It was part of why she tried to keep you out of the field and on coffee and lunch runs."

"Did she tell you to watch out for me?"

"No. Not really. But she did recognize how well we worked together. I had never really gone out on a limb like that since I lost my sight. I had always been careful to stay within protocol. When we got picked up and the morgue and then I apologized, she was shocked. I was the one who talked people into things usually, not the other way round. She wanted me to talk to you when I got back. She was pretty puzzled that I wouldn't."

"I still don't understand how she managed it. Or why really. What does she gain?"

"She gets her best agents back as a team, happy. We did work really well together. And I think she know how hard it is to make a relationship work there. As for the how, well, put any general and Joan in a room, who would you bet on?"

"Oh Joan, for sure. Could you see it now? That woman could make the statue of Lincoln in the Memorial flinch."

She laughed at the thought. Something in him unfurled and relaxed at that sound. She used to laugh a lot with him. Her laugh was the best part of his day. Even when she wasn't laughing, he would hear the promise of it in her voice. His hand grazed her cheek, and he shared that smile.

"So, is that the smile?"

"What smile?"

"I was reliably informed on a regular basis that you used to smile at me all the time. Just wondering if that was the smile I had missed."

As he spoke, he got closer and closer, till his mouth was right near her ear. He swept the hair back from her neck and moved his lips just a little closer.

"I think the best part of seeing again, might just be that smile. But I'm thinking that might change depending on what else I get to see."

His voice got lower as he got closer to her ear. That low intimate tone she used to hear in her earpiece was right there. She could almost feel his lips on her. She tried to think if there was more they needed to discuss. Then his hand came up on the other side and caressed her neck and she stopped thinking.

She allowed herself to melt against him. He picked her up onto his lap and settled his mouth on hers, taking control. It was a slow and careful kiss. He kissed her deeply and thoroughly. They were going to be together. She loved him and he was finally free to love her.

**No throwing things, remember? Here's the deal. There is one more chapter on this sucker I think and the bunnies want to get a little more grown up. So, the next chapter will be M unless someone has a real problem with that? Give me some time and I will post in that section. I want you all to have a day or so to be fair warned in case this bothers anyone who has alerted on this story. If you are really too young to be there….you know who you are….just let this be the ending. MKAY?**

**Oh yeah, to those of you who have been whining and playing the birthday card (yes, I am looking at you!) I will try to get to the epilogue of SOUVENIR, if there is interest still?**


	10. Chapter 10

**Here is the finale and it's M. I don't think it's a hard M, but may not be appropriate for some folks. You have been warned.**

**It's been a couple of days since I updated, so before I posted, I read the whole story again. I really wish I had a clue at the beginning how this was going to end. I think it would have read better! So, the argument for having some kind of outline has again been made. Wish the bunnies would listen!**

**Thank you to all who have reviewed and PM'ed. I love that feedback.**

**DISCLAIMER: Something Clever, Something Clever, they are not mine!**

**CHAMELEON – Chapter 10**

Auggie felt like he was really breathing for the first time in months, maybe longer. Being open with Annie was as much a gift as her love. For years he had lived with double talk, subterfuge, and outright deception as his companion. It was the harsh reality of this life. As close as Tasha had gotten, he still had to hold the biggest part of himself back.

Now that Annie knew it all, he felt free. It was a sudden rush of oxygen to his soul and it made him a little lightheaded with the freedom. Of course there would always be parts of him, what he had done, that would remain forever locked away. Not because he didn't trust her, but for her own protection. Those small gouges on his soul would never really be healed. Her love would unknowingly soothe them a bit. He had been willing to give her up for her own protection. Keeping her from those harsh truths for her soul's protection was nothing to him.

The biggest part of him, the component that lived this job, was open at last. She too lived with the taskmaster that required so much of them. She too, had been pulled through the fire of sacrifice and pain, physical and emotional. She had come out the other side tougher and softer all at once. For a man who understood better than most the depths of that sacrifice, she was a precious gift.

So, despite the screaming demands of body too long denied this woman, Auggie forced himself to slow down. He wanted nothing more than to rip aside the interfering fabrics and claim her. It was his inner primitive self vying for control. That caveman sought to obey the blood that pounded through his veins. She was here, squirming against him on his lap. His rational self was fast losing this battle.

Then she sighed his name against his neck. He felt the vibrations of it on his skin as much as he heard it. When she followed it up with a whimpering sound, he forced himself to stop. His control was on the razor's edge. If he didn't gather himself for a moment, Annie would find herself with torn clothes getting banged like a steel drum. She deserved better.

They groaned together as he lifted her off his lap. Her twisting weight had been a torture and delight to him. But he was not taking her on a tiny lumpy sofa half dressed like horny teenagers on a babysitting gig. There was a bed there. It wasn't huge, but they could relax and savor this first time together. He had waited this long for her. He wanted it to last, even if that meant reciting binary code and the names of all his great aunts to himself.

Annie almost cried in frustration at the loss of his heat. True to form, Auggie did nothing by halves. His tongue tasted every inch of her lips and mouth. She reveled in the taste and sensation of his mouth. For a long time she had watched it as it laughed, smiled and even just when he talked. It had been one of the perks of silently admiring a blind man. He couldn't see your fascination with his features. As their tongues dueled, it wasn't so much for supremacy like with some men. It was a mutual caress they stroked wetly against the others. When he left her mouth to trail kisses over her face and down to her neck, she mourned the loss of that taste. Until that talented mouth found her neck. He was doing the most exquisite things with his teeth and lips when suddenly, he lifter her off him.

She would have stood if her knees weren't jelly. As it was, she sort of melted down next to him on the sofa. The sudden move reminded her of that strength and muscles hidden beneath those inconvenient clothes. She pulled at his t-shirt trying to remove the offending garment. He allowed it and then stood.

In the flickering candle light his body was a expanse of smooth muscle, dips and defined symmetry. If she had seen this carved in marble, she would have wanted to run her hands across it. But marble never flexed and shifted, making her aware of the strength behind the beauty. He was sleek, the only hair a faint line that started low and pointed south. He stood tall, aware that she was looking.

Holding out his hand, he invited her silently to join him. That half smile hovered around that talented mouth, but it was his eyes that pulled at her. They had always spoken to her. Even blind, they would dance with amusement, soften with kindness and narrow in irritation. He had avoided her so much since he came back that she was still unnerved to see them focus on her. And focus they did. Dark, glittering with lust they compelled her. She would refuse this man nothing.

Letting her hand follow her heart into his safekeeping, she was pulled up by him. Just before their bodies would have met, he stopped and slid his other hand under her t-shirt, inviting her to remove it. The female to his male wanted him to see her as she had been viewing him. She pulled it and her bra off quickly. His reaction was all a woman wanted. He sucked in his breath suddenly. Her nipples already tensed into buds hardened even more. They demanded attention. He slowly followed the course her shirt had taken, up from her waist to her breasts. She held her breath as he carefully weighed each in his large hands. By the time he had stroked across those tight nubs of sensation she wasn't sure she remembered how to breathe.

Like everything else Auggie did, he was thorough and excelled at making her feel each inch of her skin. Those careful fingers, which for so long had been his eyes, read her body. He smiled a little more at the half gasps she was breathing out. Starting with her lips, he mapped each portion of her neck with his lips. She arched her neck, offering it to him in a way that was timeless. The rational man didn't want to mar that creamy expanse. The primitive shoved him aside and sucked lingering tastes down to her collar bone. Mine, he thought, mark her, so all know she is mine.

He would have been shocked to know how similarly their thoughts ran. Part of her was stroking those wide shoulders, reveling in their solid strength. The other part wanted to plant her brand on him as well. From that first day in the gym when she had pushed against those immovable shoulders, she had wanted to revisit that feeling, without a t-shirt and gloves hindering them.

He pulled back to gift himself with the view. For a man who had fantasized about this woman without knowing her form it was a delight. He had been told of her beauty often. But none of those jerks ever saw her like this. Mine, he thought again. The cave dweller residing within crowed with delight at those little marks on her skin.

"Auggie?"

His name came out as a cross between a sigh and a voiced plea. She was enjoying the view too, but had for a long time. Now she wanted real contact. Her hands came up and cupped his face, stroking it with her thumbs again. Stepping in closer, she kissed him deeply, making sure he understood all that she felt.

She came to him. She was kissing him. She wanted him. This beautiful, smart, charming, sweet miracle wanted him. The runt of a kid brother inside him jumped up and down and cheered. The primitive knocked him on his ass. Her breasts were just teasing the skin on his chest. It was the sensation that roared through his body. Snapping his arms like steel bands around her body, he hauled her into his arms. She melted into him.

His hands came down her ass and along her legs, lifting her up. Their minds and bodies were in sync. She jumped up into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist. Trusting him completely to hold her, she held on tight with her arms, legs and lips. The cave man howled with delight. He was carrying his woman back to his cave. Even if the cave was a bed in a CIA owned apartment. For that night, it was his and she was going to be there.

He sat them down on the edge of the bed, with her still wrapped around him. When he sat, her weight shifted onto his hardness barely contained by the soft material of his gym shorts. They both groaned into each other's mouth at the sensation. Even through her jeans, she could feel the steely heat and she wanted more. His next deft move of turning her under him and up onto the bed told her three things. One was that he was very strong to just toss her around like that. Two was that he had done that move before and three, oh hell, he had just stripped off his shorts. Thinking was out the window.

She didn't need to think what to do next. She reached down and slowly slid her hand around his length. She wished there for more light to see its contours completely, because what the shadows were showing was very impressive. Auggie had always had a complete relaxed confidence about him. Now she knew why.

He couldn't resist planting a series of soft kisses on her stomach as he went to remove those offending jeans. Not that she didn't look great in them, but now they were in his way. He smiled at her intake of breath when his tongue teased her skin and darted into her navel. As he peeled the clothing off her lower half, he continued to delight in the wash of sensations. Her skin was soft and smooth and contracted each time he tasted it.

He nibbled and licked the jeans and scrap of fabric off her and stopped for a moment to appreciated the view before him. Her hair was tossed across the pillow and her body all but glowed in the low light. He began to taste up each thigh, stroking the one not being kissed. He could hear those little murmers of appreciation for each caress.

To hell with his brilliant mind, she thought, it was his mouth that was a genius. And his hands were not far behind. Large, and heated, those talented fingers pushed her willing thighs apart. The northward trip was slow and exquisite. She had to keep remembering to both inhale and exhale. Just as Annie was congratulating herself on that accomplishment, his lips and hands met at the apex of those loved thighs.

Auggie all but growled in satisfied reply to her sharply inhaled gasp when he swiped his tongue lazily over her dripping folds. More whimpers and pleadings followed. She was writhing and twisting beneath his mouth. He grabbed her ass in his large hands to keep his target in range and dove in.

She felt that growl all the way up her body. Between those vibrations and his command of her lower half, she was finding coherent thought impossible. The man's talents had no limits. She tried to push herself closer to that mouth, but he was fully in command. When she felt his fingers slowly slide up into her core, she decided that maybe he did know best.

Annie thought she was just softly repeating his name, like a mantra. What Auggie heard was her chanting "Auuugggeee, Oh my God, more Auuugggee" in increasingly frantic tones. Never to keep a lady hanging, he obliged and sent her over the edge. Once he soothed and kissed her through her panting release, he nibbled and kissed his way back up to her mouth.

Eyesight was a gift, he thought. Her skin was glowing damply and her face was curved in beatific smile. It would have been wonderful just to feel, taste and hear that moment. To see the aftermath across her face and body, was worth any deal he had to make.

He gently brushed the blond strands back from her face and smiled down at her. At that moment, their bodies were perfectly aligned and she could feel the power in his length. Even with that first shattering orgasm, she craved his body in hers. Hooking a leg around his thighs, she invited him closer. He responded by pushing up on his hands on either side of her face. He wanted to see her face the first time they were joined.

"Annie?" The husky question vibrated along any place their bodies touched. She shivered in response. Reaching between them she lovingly stroked his length. His groans were music to her ears. When she finally lined them up and he slid home, they both groaned.

Rational Auggie tried to go slowly and feel every sensation. But the sounds she made and her heels locked around his back urging him on spoke to the primitive. That Auggie took over once he felt her tighten and ripple around him again.

Their bodies took over and spoke to each other all the things their minds had not allowed for so long. The basic man and woman inside had always felt this connection and rejoiced that their rational selves finally caught up.

Annie had never felt this complete sense of connection with any man. She had lovers in the past who had satisfied her body. Some had even touched her heart a little. Those were pond ripples as to this tidal wave. Every part of her opened and trusted him completely. There wasn't the sense that she needed to hold back at all. For a woman who had called the world her home, she now knew it meant this man. Auggie had been her rock and touchstone. Now he was her home too.

He found places inside her that no man had ever touched. Not only was he larger, but he clearly knew exactly what to do with that gift, she thought. Oh. My! Again? Again.

Auggie could feel her coming apart on him again. The primitive roared his joy and release as well. He had faced death theoretically and practically several times. Now, he thought, if he died at this moment in his arms, his life would be complete. Annie completed all those voids in his life. He rolled to one side, pulling her into his arms.

Just then the lights flared to life. He looked down and saw this woman who now owned his heart. She beamed at him. He was sure the smile on his face was no less wide and considerably more prideful.

"I'm going to blow out the candles before we burn the place down."

"I'm kind of surprised we didn't with all the heat we just generated." She giggled a little.

He got up and ran through the small room, blowing out candles and flipping off lights that had come on.

"Where's your phone charger? Let's get ourselves set and then I can come back to bed."

A naked Auggie, taking care of her was a sight to inspire and delight. She didn't want to leave the bed, but he was right. They got themselves set up for the morning and raced back to the bed. She draped herself across his chest, her hands lightly stroking the smooth muscled expanse. He wrapped his arms around her, noting how well she fit. Their legs tangled together comfortably. She smiled at how well they did that. It was usually awkward the first time you snuggled, if you did, after sex. They were like two pieces of a puzzle that just clicked. She might have known, they clicked from the beginning.

He planted a kiss onto the top of her head. She was the perfect fit here. She was the perfect fit in all aspects of his life, he mused.

"Annie? I love you."

She looked up and him a gave him another of those big sunny smiles. Kissing him briefly, she looked him right in the eyes and said, "I love you, super-Agent Auggie."

It was her way of letting him know she accepted and loved all the men he had been and all he was now.

A man couldn't ask for more than that.

**Not too over the edge on the M I hope? I love reading it, but never know how to balance writing it. This is the end. No epilogue. **

**Fanfic has not been sending out alerts, so I will let you know that I did finally put an epilogue on SOUVENIR.**

**Working on the next one, but would love to be inspired by some more writing?**

**Remember to feed the bunnies!**


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